Gap in the 2nd deck moulding when hooked

It is not near you, but an excellent shop for major structural repairs is Kansas RV Center in Chanute, KS. This is the old NuWa HitchHiker plant, so they do know how to repair them.

We had our last Cameo repaired there for a similar problem. It had to have the left front side wall pulled back and rebuilt the frame. The cost was about $2700.

Ken

We have a dealer in Amarillo that is very capable of these kind of repairs. Many years of every repair out there. Ive had them weld and whe they finish it is right.

UPDATE :

I removed completely the plastic, the isolation the door etc.. under the deck. Had access to all the welding. I hired a professional welder, which confirmed that all the welds where in good shape. We also measured the deflection which is 1/4 of an inch from one end to the other.
They also assured me that my pin box is solid... so nothing dangerous.

The problem is that the 1/4 inch veneer on which is the external fibreglass is, is moving causing the gap. Looks like the bond between the aluminum frame and the external is broken. So I don't think this can be fix easily. Any suggestion is welcome ! By the way the aluminum 2x2 wall frame are well supported and do not move at all !

I did re install everything and installed the moulding when the weight was on the pin, this way the gap is closed. Still moving but much less than before.

Thanks everyone for the help

Much appreciated

Claude,

alcsiobc wrote:
UPDATE :

We also measured the deflection which is 1/4 of an inch from one end to the other.
They also assured me that my pin box is solid... so nothing dangerous.

The problem is that the 1/4 inch veneer on which is the external fibreglass is, is moving causing the gap. Looks like the bond between the aluminum frame and the external is broken. So I don't think this can be fix easily. Any suggestion is welcome ! By the way the aluminum 2x2 wall frame are well supported and do not move at all !


Claude,

There are lots of ways to measure deflection, some more accurate than others. If the deflection is really just 1/4 inch, that is great. But if it is really that small, then you shouldn't be having a problem. Sounds like you understand the symptom is with the exterior skin, but bottom line is something else is causing it to move and that something else is moving as much or more than the skin moves. The best method I used was a laser beam attached to the exterior skin at one of the side basement compartments, then a long pole mounted on top of the pin box with a yard stick hanging from it.

If both sides show the same failure, it is possible that inadequate adhesive/curing was used to attach the wood veneer to the aluminum studs.

Maybe two repair options. First, make a vertical cut thru the exterior skin and veneer about where the landing legs are located, remove this section from the studs, buy replacement panels and glue them onto the studs using the same adhesive Keystone used. Second option, remove the interior veneer skin and insulation, then either push out the exterior skin enough to inject adhesive between it and the existing studs, or use adhesive on new studs next to the existing studs and then screw the two studs together. The new studs could be wood, which would bond better with the veneer. Finally replace insulation and interior skin.

Click on 'my rig photos' and check out the pics in the 'frame repair' folder.

Yours sounds a lot like the problem we had with our Cameo. Kansas RV took the siding off the left front corner and braced the sidewall and frame intersection.

I'll try to send photos on a PM to you as they are not hosted on the net.

Ken

Final fix.

I finally fix the gap. Here's the pictures https://plus.google.com/photos/112375037924092473550/albums/6143202913736773041?authkey=COG_8aGq06S2pwE

On my way up to Canada I stopped at Keystone and saw how my trailer was built. So it gave me a very good understanding on how it was made, therefore I could plan my fix.I repaired it by opening channels in from the interior and glued a 2x6 to the external walls, then installed lag bolts from the bottom. No more gap and nothing moves (or everything move at once, as it was when new). At the same time I replaced the fibreglass insulation by solid 1 inch blue styrofoam. Costs me about $30 plus my time. The most time was spent in removing and reinstalling the drawers and shelf on the right side of the trailer.

Thanks all for your answers and comments.

Claude,

Thanks for the update. Wish more OP would end up this way.

Glad to hear that you kept after the problem and came up with a fix. Too many owners will either trade the unit or let the problem get much worse.